UNIDO, FG to launch investment monitoring platform

The Investment Monitoring Platform (IMP), an interactive online investment software developed by Microsoft in U.S.A will be launched today in Nigeria by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the federal government.

According to a statement by Adetola Ajala, UNIDO Investment Promotion expert for the programme in Nigeria, the IMP contains data from more than 7,000 companies in 19 African countries and provides a unique opportunity for research and policy advocacy in an empirically sound manner.

The other stakeholders apart from the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMTI) are the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

Adetola said the IMP will enables users to monitor investment trends, opportunities and impact. He added that the data would also support the Federal Government through FMTI, NIPC, SMEDAN and other interested institutions to monitor trends in investment flows, measure their impact on the local economy.

He said that the platform would identify relevant types of investors and target quality investors, as well as advocate on evidence-based interventions and policy proposals.

According to Ajala, the IMP is scheduled for official launch in Nigeria by the Minister of Industry Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga today in Abuja. “The platform is expected to usher in a shift from the traditional Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) role of ‘marketing the country’ as an investment location to making institutions, NIPC true agents in the development process to attract quality investment in productive sectors and support investors through an innovative set of support services,” he stated.

He said that the launch would aim at presenting its various functionalities and potential benefits to interested institutions and companies. “It will be followed by four days of hands-on practical training to ensure its effective use by NIPC and other stakeholders,” he said.